IPL 2026: Massive threat for opposing teams as spin wizard joins Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians' (MI) bowling line-up gets more powerful as New Zealand captain and spin wizard Mitchell Santner has joined the team ahead of their fixture with the Delhi Capitals on Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

The New Zealand star missed the first match of the team in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. But there are chances to see him featuring against the Delhi Capitals tomorrow. In the absence of Mitchell Santner, the Mumbai Indians handed Allah Ghazanfar his debut Indian Premier League match in their previous match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium.

Will Mitchell Santner play vs Delhi Capitals?

MI got their win at home, but the emerging Afghanistan spinner proved costly against the aggressive batting line-up of KKR. Ghazanfar conceded 51 runs without taking a wicket in his four-over spell. As he failed to meet the expectations, he is likely to be dropped from the playing combination to make room for the Kiwi spin bowling all-rounder.

Mitchell Santner has been in good form for the past few weeks. He guided the New Zealand cricket team into the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup, where they were defeated by the co-host and defending champions, Team India. New Zealand ended as the runner-up of the tournament, but the bowling stats Santner produced proved effective as he did not allow the batters to score runs effortlessly.

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A few notable stats of Mitchell Santner

The 34-year-old bagged two wickets at an average of 92.50 and an economy rate of 6.60 in eight matches during the 2026 T20 World Cup. For the Mumbai Indians in the previous IPL season, he was an instrumental figure for them. In IPL 2025, he got 10 wickets at an average of 31.30 with an economy rate of 7.92.

Santner, who is mostly known for his bowling skills, can claim some crucial runs for the team as well. In the T20 WC 2026, the skipper of the Blackcaps secured 120 runs at an average of 40.00 and a strike rate of 142.85. And for MI in the IPL 2025 season, his batting average was 20.00, scoring 40 runs with a strike rate of 121.21.

When will Will Jacks join the MI camp?

However, there is no update regarding MI’s other foreign recruit, Will Jacks. It is unclear when the England all-rounder will join the team.

According to a Cricbuzz report, “MI now await the other overseas player, Will Jacks. The England all-rounder, like Santner, had sought permission to join the squad late due to personal reasons. Though there is no immediate information on when Jacks will join, it is expected to be within a week.”

Mumbai Indians’ upcoming IPL 2026 fixtures: